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Rampant bribery by law enforcement officials has made corruption the biggest concern of people in Afghanistan, bigger than insecurity or unemployment, according to a report released Tuesday by the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC).

Antonio Maria Costa, executive director of the UN Office on Drugs and Crime, is urging Afghan and world leaders to tackle widespread corruption in Afghanistan. ((Musadeq Sadeq/Associated Press))

Afghans paid more than $2.5 billion US in bribes between the fall of 2008 and the fall of 2009, or about one quarter the value of the country's gross domestic product, the report found.

The report, titled Corruption in Afghanistan: Bribery as reported by the victims, was based on surveys with 7,600 people across the country. It found that 50 per cent of Afghans had to pay at least one kickback to a public official, including police. The average bribe was $160 US.

"Corruption is the biggest impediment to improving security, development and governance in Afghanistan," said Antonio Maria Costa, UNODC's executive director, in a press release.